RUSSELL HIVELY: About crows

I spot many crows as I walk along Wildcat Boulevard each morning. They fly, talk to each other, pick at things laying on the Neosho High School parking lots, and sit atop the tall lights at Bob Anderson Stadium.

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Neosho Daily News - Neosho, MO

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Posted May. 24, 2013 at 12:39 AM
Updated May 24, 2013 at 12:41 AM

Posted May. 24, 2013 at 12:39 AM
Updated May 24, 2013 at 12:41 AM

I spot many crows as I walk along Wildcat Boulevard each morning. They fly, talk to each other, pick at things laying on the Neosho High School parking lots, and sit atop the tall lights at Bob Anderson Stadium.

The other morning five crows were gathered in one spot pecking on something on the ground. I walked over to see what had them gathered together. They had been eating the remains of someone's bag of popcorn.

Seems like that morning they proved the stereotype of crows loving corn. We humans curse crows for getting in our corn fields and make ugly scarecrows to try to keep them away.

Most of the time the crows do not utter the "caw" they are supposed to. They talk to eat other with varied grunting sounds. I imagine a professor somewhere has studied the crow language. Sounds interesting.

When I was attending Mankato State College in Minnesota, the Mankato Zoo had a talking crow which said one word "Bob." I understood that his tongue had been "split," so his caws came out as "Bob." I felt sorry for him.

After observing the crows my mind slipped to a recent Lions Club program, as I walked along. Renee Denton, administrative services director at Freeman Neosho Hospital, told some of the "whys" and "hows" about our local hospital.

Freeman is a critical access hospital and one of the busiest emergency hospitals in the state of Missouri. Its emergency care is excellent.

Unless there is an extreme emergency, like the Joplin tornado, Freeman is only licensed to house up to 25 patients at once, even though it has room for more.

Interestingly, Ms. Denton was born in Sale Hospital (Freeman Neosho today.) I'd guess that not many hospital administrators run the hospital where they were born.

Freeman Neosho saved both Kay's and my life at one time.

Take a walk, listen for crows, remember a good hospital is close at hand, and see what you notice while passing along Wildcat Boulevard.